Emma Stone Breaks Oscar Records with ‘Bugonia’ Nominations

Emma Stone has etched her name further into Academy Awards history with her dual nominations for the film Bugonia, becoming the youngest woman to accrue seven Oscar nominations and setting a new precedent for dual acting and producing nods. The Yorgos Lanthimos-directed feature, which premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and opened in theaters last October, is now a contender in multiple major categories for the 2026 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Stone, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. This significant recognition underscores both Stone’s prolific career and the critical acclaim surrounding her latest collaboration with Lanthimos.

Emma Stone’s Record-Breaking Oscar Journey Continues

The announcement of the 2026 Oscar nominations on Thursday saw Emma Stone achieve several remarkable milestones, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. At 37 years old, Stone has become the second-youngest individual and the youngest woman in Oscar history to amass a total of seven nominations. This achievement places her ahead of Meryl Streep, who previously held the record for women, reaching seven nominations at the age of 38 in 1988. The only person younger than Stone to reach this tally was Walt Disney, who was 34 in 1936.

Furthermore, Stone has become the first woman ever to be nominated twice for both producing and starring in the same film. Her first instance of this dual recognition was for 2023’s critically acclaimed Poor Things, and she has now repeated this feat with Bugonia. This particular record highlights her increasing influence and versatility in Hollywood, not only as a leading actress but also as a significant creative force behind the camera. Frances McDormand was the first person overall to achieve this for 2021’s Nomadland, but Stone is the first to do it twice.

These new nominations add to Stone’s already impressive portfolio, which includes five previous Oscar nods and two wins for Best Actress: for 2016’s La La Land and 2023’s Poor Things. A potential win for Bugonia would place her in an elite group of women who have won Best Actress three or more times, alongside legends like Katharine Hepburn (who won four times) and Frances McDormand and Meryl Streep (who each have three wins). Her nomination for Best Actress in Bugonia pits her against Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value).

‘Bugonia’: A Deep Dive into Lanthimos’s Latest Vision

Bugonia marks Emma Stone’s fourth collaboration with acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, following their successful partnerships on Poor Things, The Favourite, and Kinds of Kindness. True to Lanthimos’s distinctive and often unsettling style, Bugonia is described by Elle as a ‘bold, strange, and surreal’ cinematic experience. The narrative centers on two eccentric conspiracy theorists who kidnap Michelle (portrayed by Stone), a powerful Fortune 500 CEO, under the bizarre belief that she is an alien orchestrating the apocalypse.

The film’s premise is an adaptation of the 2003 South Korean science-fiction film, Save the Green Planet!, offering a fresh, Westernized take on its unique blend of dark comedy, social commentary, and genre-bending elements. Stone has openly expressed her admiration for Lanthimos’s directorial approach and the compelling material he gravitates towards. Speaking to Wonderland, she remarked, ‘I love him as a director but I also think that the material that he’s drawn to, whether he writes it with a theme, or if it’s written by Tony [McNamara] or Will Tracy here, I find his worlds to be really fascinating. The characters are incredible.’ This deep artistic synergy between Stone and Lanthimos has consistently resulted in critically acclaimed performances and films that challenge conventional storytelling.

Critical Acclaim and Accessibility for Viewers

Bugonia premiered to significant buzz at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, a platform known for showcasing both established and emerging cinematic talent. The festival, renowned for its ‘Venice Classics’ section which highlights restored films and its overall commitment to cinematic excellence, provided an ideal launchpad for Lanthimos’s latest work. While Source 1 details the ‘Classici fuori Mostra’ series of restored films, it is Source 2, Elle, that confirms Bugonia‘s premiere at the broader Venice Film Festival, setting the stage for its theatrical release in October.

Beyond its festival run and theatrical release, Bugonia has quickly become accessible to a wider audience. The film began streaming exclusively on Peacock on December 26, making it readily available for subscribers. For those preferring other viewing options, the film is also available for digital rental and purchase on major platforms such as Apple TV and Prime Video. This multi-platform release strategy ensures that audiences can easily engage with the Oscar-nominated film as the awards season intensifies.

The film’s other Oscar nominations include Best Picture, where it competes alongside titles such as F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Sinners. Will Tracy received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Jerskin Fendrix was recognized for Best Original Score, further cementing Bugonia‘s comprehensive artistic achievement.

The sustained critical and commercial attention surrounding Emma Stone’s work, particularly her repeat success with Yorgos Lanthimos, highlights a compelling trend in contemporary cinema where daring artistic visions, when coupled with strong performances and strategic distribution, can achieve significant mainstream recognition and awards success.